The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
As a mobile data service, the Multimedia Message Service (MMS) can support many high-speed data services such as voice, internet browsing, E-mail, and conference TV, and can achieve instant delivery of multimedia information between mobile terminals and between mobile phone terminals and Internet. The multimedia messages are delivered by multimedia message systems. With a rapid growth of data service users and a booming development of the MMS, the MMS has been recognized as a new profitable business. Therefore, the MMS should be supported by a more secure, more effective and more complete mobile data service architecture.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the architecture of the multimedia message system in the prior art, which includes: MMS terminals, an MMS Center (MMSC), a Wireless Application Protocol Gateway (WAPGW), a Value Added Service Provider (VASP) and a Gateway-Service Control Point (G-SCP). The MMSC serves to receive, store and send multimedia messages; the WAPGW serves to connect the MMSC with a mobile network, to carry the multimedia message service between the MMSC and the MMS terminals, and the MMSC and MMS terminals can communicate with each other only via the mobile network; the VASP, also called a Service Provider (SP), which is connected with the MMSC via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, serves to provide value added services; and the G-SCP serves to bill the prepaid users.
When an MMS terminal sends a multimedia message to an SP, the MMS terminal sends an edited multimedia message to a home MMSC of the MMS terminal via the WAPGW and the mobile network or only via the mobile network. The home MMSC of the MMS terminal receives and stores the multimedia message sent by the MMS terminal, and sends the received multimedia message to the SP.
When the SP sends a multimedia message to the MMS terminal, the SP sends the multimedia message to the MMSC to which it is connected. Upon receiving the multimedia message, the MMSC determines which MMSC is the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal. If the MMSC to which the SP is connected and the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal are the same one, the MMSC stores the multimedia message or sends the multimedia message to the receiving MMS terminal via the WAPGW and the mobile network or only via the mobile network; if the MMSC to which the SP is connected and the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal are different, the MMSC to which the SP is connected sends the received multimedia message to the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal; the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal stores the multimedia message or sends the message to the receiving MMS terminal via the WAPGW and the mobile network or only via the mobile network upon receiving the multimedia message.
Based on the system illustrated in FIG. 1, a flowchart of the method for sending a multimedia message in the prior art is shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the method for the SP sending a multimedia message to the MMS terminal in the prior art. And FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the method for the MMS terminal sending a multimedia message to the SP in the prior art.
As shown in FIG. 2, the method for the SP sending a multimedia message to the MMS terminal in the prior art includes the following steps:
Step 201: the SP sends an MM7_submit.REQ message to the MMSC. The message carries a multimedia message, which further carries address information, such as the mobile phone number of the receiving MMS terminal;
Step 202: upon receiving the MM7_submit.REQ message, the MMSC authenticates the SP to verify whether the service provided by the SP is a subscribed service, and authenticates the receiving user in the SP service request to check the user's subscription relationship and the validity of the user's status, and determines which MMSC is the home MMSC of the receiving user. If the MMSC to which the SP is connected and the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal are different, it is necessary for the MMSC to which the SP is connected to send the multimedia message to the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal.
Step 203: after the authentication is completed, the MMSC returns an MM7_submit.RES response message to the SP, which carries the information about whether the multimedia message is successfully submitted. If the multimedia message is successfully submitted, proceed to Step 204; and otherwise, terminate the flow.
Steps 204˜205: the MMSC sends a billing request to the G-SCP. Upon receiving the billing request, the G-SCP returns a billing request response.
Steps 206˜207: the home MMSC of the receiving MMS terminal sends an MM1_notification.REQ message to the receiving MMS terminal, notifying the receiving MMS terminal to retrieve the multimedia message from the MMSC. Upon receiving the MM1_notification.REQ message, the receiving MMS terminal sends an MM1_notification.RES message to the MMSC, signifying that it has received the notification.
Steps 208˜210: the MMS terminal sends an MM1_retrieve.REQ message to the MMSC requesting the MMSC to retrieve the multimedia message. Upon receiving the MM1_retrieve.REQ message, the MMSC returns an MM1_retrieve.RES message carrying the multimedia message to the receiving MMS terminal. Upon receiving the multimedia message, the MMS terminal returns an MM1_Acknowledgement.REQ response message to the MMSC.
Steps 211˜212: Upon receiving the MM1_Acknowledgement.REQ response message, the MMSC sends a billing confirmation to the G-SCP. Upon receiving the billing confirmation, the G-SCP returns a billing confirmation response.
As shown in FIG. 3, the method for the MMS terminal sending a multimedia message to the SP in the prior art includes the following steps:
Step 301: the MMS terminal sends a message MM1_submit.REQ carrying the multimedia message to the MMSC.
Steps 302˜303: upon receiving the MM1_submit.REQ message from the MMS terminal, the MMSC checks the contents of the multimedia message and authenticates the MMS terminal, the SP and the service. After the content checking and the authentication, the MMSC returns an MM1_submit.RES response message to the MMS terminal. If the multimedia message is successfully submitted, proceed to Step 304. Otherwise, terminate the flow.
Steps 304˜305: the MMSC sends a billing request to the G-SCP. Upon receiving the billing request, the G-SCP returns a billing request response to the MMSC.
Steps 306˜307: the MMSC sends an MM7_delivery.REQ message to the SP, which carries the multimedia message. Upon receiving the MM7_delivery.REQ message, the SP returns an MM7_delivery.RES response message.
Steps 308˜309: upon receiving the MM7_delivery.RES response message, the MMSC sends a billing confirmation to the G-SCP. Upon receiving the billing confirmation, the G-SCP returns a billing confirmation response.